Polyethylene-wax composition and process of blending same



be prepared by depositing chromium those previously known.

United States Paten POLYETHYLENE-WAX COMPOSITION AND PROCESS BLENDING SAME iGerald T. Leatherman and Clyde V. Detter, Bartlesville,

Okla, assignors to Phillips-Petroleum Company, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application June 1, 1954 Serial-No. 433,802

12 Claims. (Cl. 260-285) This invention relates to a novel wax composition having improved properties, especially increased melting or 'fsoftening point. In one aspect, it relates to a method of producing such a composition.

It is known in the art to utilize waxes for protective "coating, sealing compositions, and for the productionof molded articles. Molded articles prepared from wax are known to soften andlose their shape at moderately elegvate'd temperatures, e.g., from 100 to 150 F. The prior art has proposed various additives to increase the melting point of wax.

This invention provides an improved wax composition containing an additive which imparts to the composition a higher melting'point than any other additive which we have tested.

According to this invention, there is provided an improved composition comprising a major proportion of wax "and a minor proportion of a unique type of olefin poly- Serial No. 333,576, filed January 27, 1953, now abandoned. According to that application, a normally solid polymer is produced by polymerizing a l-olefin, having a maximum chain length of 8 carbon atoms and no chain branching nearer the double bond than the 4-position, in the presence of a chromium oxide polymerization catalyst at moderately elevated temperatures and pressures, e-.g. 150 to 450 F. and 100 to 700 p.s.i. The catalyst can oxide, preferably containing hexavalent chromium, on a suitable support such asat least one oxide selected from the group consisting of silica and alumina. The support is not necessarily inert; it can contribute to the total catalyst activity. Commercially available silica-alumina catalysts are satisfactory supports. One such support comprises 10 weight percent alumina and 90 weight percent silica. The reactant olefin is preferably reacted in solution in a solvent such as i-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, i-octane, or ndecane, i.e., in general, a liquid hydrocarbon which is nonreactive under the polymerization conditions. Suitable olefins are .ethylene, propylene, l-butene, butadiene, l-pentane, l-hexene and 4-methyl-1-hexene. The polymers prepared by this method dilfer significantly from They have higher softening points and appear to have predominantly straight-chain 'structure and a different type of unsaturation from those previously known.

'For 'the purposes-of this invention, the additive used is a normally solid polymer, produced by the process of T'Hogan' and Banks, and having a molecular weight in the range 3,000 to 150,000, preferably 5,000 to 60,000. The

polymer has a melting point of atleast 235 F. The polymer most frequently utilized is va polymer-of .ethyl 2,882,246 Patented Apr. 14, 1959 ene, although normally solid polymers of other olefins, as above described, can be used.

The polyethylenes used according to this invention have .a melting point in the range 235 to 260 F., adensity in the range 0.92 to 0.97, an intrinsic viscosity in the range 0.2 to 1.2, and are characterized by the substantial absence of so-called branched-vinyl unsaturation as shown by infra-red spectra. Prior art polyethylenes are characterized by the fact that their unsaturation is predominantly of the branched-vinyl type. The unsaturationin thepolyethylenes utilized in this invention'is preponderantly of the so-called trans-internal and/or terminal vinyl type, in contradistinction to prior artipol-yethylenes. ,The above-mentioned types of unsaturation are represented by the following formulae.

| (CH2) z-G-(CHa) HC=CH2 Terminal Vinyl wherein x and y are integers.

The proportion of polymer used in the wax composition is ordinarily in the range 0.1 to 10 weight percent, preferably 1 to 8 weight percent,'and more preferably? to 7 weight percent.

The waxused in the composition of this invention-can 'be any known wax which is'useful for the fabricationof molded articles. Examples are hydrocarbon waxes such as paraflin wax; ester waxes, such as candelilla wax, carnauba wax, montan wax, spermaceti and similar waxes. It is preferred to use a wax having a melting point of at least F., preferably at least F.

According to this invention, the wax composition can be prepared by mixing the molten constituents, and

rapidly cooling, by kneading, or otherwise agitating, the constituents at elevated temperaturesat or near themelting point of the wax, or by dissolving the wax and the polymer in a solvent, as previously described herein, such as a normally liquid parafiin, and evaporating the solvent.

The compositions according to this invention'are particularly useful for molding to 'form candles, wax bottles,

' vention were compared with wax compositions prepared from commercial polyethylenes.

Composition 1 in the following table wasparaflin wax without any additive.

Compositions 2 and 3 were prepared .from the .same parafiin wax and two different commercialpolyethylenes. Composition .4, according .to this invention, contained ,a polyethylene produced .by contacting a 2.1 weight percent solution of ethylene in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, in-the liquid phase, with a catalyst containing approximately 2 weight percent chromium oxide deposited on abase cornprising 90percent alumina and 10 percent silica at 320 to 340 F., 420 p.s.i., and a liquid hourly space velocity of 4.4. The total reaction period was 45.3 hours.

- Composition 5, also according to this invention, contained a polyethylene having a density of 0.957 and a melting point of 247:2" F. and was prepared by contacting a-Z'weight percent solution of ethylene in a liquid hydrocarbon solvent with a catalyst comprising 2 weight percent chromium oxide (1.03 weight percent hexavalent chromium) deposited on an aqueous-HF-treated base originally'comprising 95 percent alumina and 5 percent s'ilica at 272 F., presure sutficient to maintain liquidphase conditions, and a liquid hourly space velocity of 6. The fluorine content of the catalyst was 10 weight percent. The preparation of this type of catalyst is disclosed more fully in coperiding application Serial No. 476,306, filed December 20, 1954, now abandoned. The total conversion period was 4 hours. t

Each of compositions 2, 3, 4, and 5 wasprepared by heating the wax and the polyethylene together at about 250 F. to form a homogeneous-appearing blend and cooling.

The following results were obtained,

Polyethylene Melting Point of Composition Number Weight Composi- Molecular Percent tlon, F.

Weight in Composltlon The data above show that compositions 4 and 5, according to this invention, had higher melting points than compositions 2 and 3, prepared from commercial polyethyl- Example 11' A composition, according to this invention, containing 5 weight percent polyethylene and 95 weight percent parafin wax (MP. 130' F.) was prepared by the method of Example I. The polyethylene was prepared substantially as described in connection with composition 4 of Example I. It had a melting point of 246 F., a density of 0.957, and a molecular weight of 10,500. The composition was cast to form candles. Candles were also made from the additive-free paraflin wax. All of the candles had the same diameter, length, and shape. All of the candles were subjected to an atmosphere having a temperature of 115 F. for 75 minutes. The candles made from the pure parafiin wax bent severely, while those made from the wax-polyethylene composition of this invention showed no deformation.

Similar results are obtained when ester waxes, such as candelilla wax or spermaceti, are used in place of parafiin wax.

The molecular weights referred to herein are those determined according to the methods of Kemp and Peters, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 35, 1108 (1943') and Dienes and Klemm, Journal of Applied Physics, 17, 458-471 (June 1946).

The molecular weights were calculated according to the equation wherein M is the molecular weight and N is the intrinsic viscosity as determined for a solution of 0.2 gm. of polymer in 50 cc. of tetralin at 130 C.

While certain compositions, structures, process steps and examples are disclosed for purposes of illustration, it is clear that the invention is not limited thereto. Variation and modification are possible within the scope of the disclosure and claims to this invention, the essence of which is a composition comprising a wax containing a minor proportion of an olefin polymer produced by polymerization of an olefin in the presence of a chromium oxide polymerization catalyst, and a method of preparing such a composition by mixing the components thereof.

We claim: 1. A composition comprising a major proportion of a wax having a melting point of at least 100 F., selected from the group consisting of parafiin wax, candelilla wax, carnauba wax, montan wax and spermaceti wax, and from 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of a solid polyethylene produced by polmerizing ethylene in the presence of a catalyst consisting of chromium oxide, containing hexavalent chromium supported on at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of silica and alumina, said polyethylene having a density, in the range of 0.92 to 0.97 and a melting point in the range of 235 to 260 F.

2. The composition of claim 1 in which the wax parafiin wax.

3. The composition of claim 1 in which the wax candelilla wax.

4. The composition of claim 1 in which the wax is carnauba wax.

5. The composition of claim 1 in which the wax spermaceti wax.

6. The composition of claim 1 in which the wax montan wax.

7. A process which comprises blending a wax having a melting point of at least F., selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, candelilla wax, carnauha wax, montan wax, and spermaceti wax, with from 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of a solid polyethylene produced by polymerizing ethylene in the presence of a catalyst consisting of chromium oxide, containing hexavalent chro mium supported on at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of silica and alumina, said polyethylene having a density in the range of 0.92 to 0.97 and a melting point in the range of 235 to 260 F.

8. The process of claim 7 in which the wax is paratfi wax.

9. The process of claim 7 in which the wax is candelilla wax.

10. The process of claim 7 in which the wax is carnauba wax.

11. The process of claim 7 in which the wax is maceti wax.

12. The process of claim 7 in which the wax is montan wax.

sper- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,523,705 Lovell et al Sept. 26, 1950 2,559,645 Larsen et a1. July 10, 1951 2,560,773 Lovell July 17, 1951 2,601,109 Fish June 17, 1952 2,666,756 Boyd et al. Jan. ,19, 1954 2,691,647 Field et al Oct. 12, 1954 2,706,719 Newburg et al. Apr. 19, 1955 2,725,374 Mosher Nov. 29, 1955 OTHER REFERENCES British Plastics, December 1943, pages 417-418. 

1. A COMPOSITION COMPRISING A MAJOR PROPORTION OF A WAX HAVING A MELTING POINT OF AT LEAST 100*F., SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PARAFFIN WAX, CANDELLIA WAX, CARNAUBA WAX, MOTION WAX AND SPERMACETI WAX, AND FROM 0.1 TO 10 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF A SOLID POLYETHYLENE PRODUCED BY POLMERIZING EHTYLENE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONSISTING OF CHROMIUM OXIDE, CONTAINING HEXAVALENT CHROMIUM SUPPORTED ON AT LEAST ONE OXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILICA AND ALUMINA SAID POLYETHYLENE HAVING A DENSISTY IN THE RANGE OF 0.92 TO 0.97 AND A MELTING POINT IN THE RANGE OF 235TO 260*F. 